Submerge Directed by Sophie O'Connor Written by Sophie O'Connor and Kat Holmes 2012, Australia Submerge follows a young Australian University student Jordan as she struggles to balance her studies with her competitive swimming and a…

After ten days of film, I have compiled a list of the ten best at this year’s Toronto LGBT film festival. Every bit as fearless, shameless, and timeless as the adverts suggest, Inside Out 2012 was an unmitigated success. Honourable…

Margarita Directed by Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert Written by Margaret Webb and Laurie Colbert Canada, 2012 In the Canadian dramatic comedy, Margarita, the titular character (Nicola Correia-Damude) is a Mexican maid, illegally…

Melting Away Written and directed by Doron Eran Israel, 2011 It’s rare to see something you’ve never seen before, and even rarer to see something that you categorically have. Doron Eran’s Melting Away, a story about a family rocked by…

Beauty Written and directed by Oliver Hermanus France/South Africa, 2011 From across the room, François (Deon Lotz) witnesses a paragon of unequivocal beauty. With a painstaking allure and an irresistible smile, François is immediately, and…

Bye Bye Blondie Written and directed by Virginie Despentes France, 2011 Perhaps a paean to the 1960 stage musical and its 1963 film adaptation, Bye Bye Birdie, Virginie Despentes’ Bye Bye Blondie tries to be the social satire its American…

Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean Written and directed by Matthew Mishory USA, 2012 Let’s posit a hypothetical – what if the iconic James Dean was gay? Well, let’s answer one hypothetical question with another – what if Fellini…

Woman’s Lake Written and directed by Zoltan Paul Germany, 2012 It’s quite a simple rule of thumb – people in glass houses shouldn’t have affairs. Set in the charmingly quaint hinterlands of Germany, this is exactly what happens to a pair of…

The Mountain Written and Directed by Ole Giæver Norway, 2011 On the snow-covered precipice of a Norwegian mountain, Solveig (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and Nora (Marte Magnusdotter Solem) are parlously exposed – not to the elements themselves,…

Speechless Written and Directed by Simon Chung Hong Kong/China, 2012 If a picture’s worth a thousand words, than what can you say about a picture named Speechless. Devoid of meaningful dialogue and any excuse for doing so, the protagonist…

She Monkeys Directed by Lisa Aschan Written by Lisa Aschan and Josefine Adolfsson Sweden, 2011 Oscar Levant once said, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity”. Perhaps Levant was a genius (or perhaps he was insane), but the truth…

Kiss Me Written and directed by Alexandra-Therese Keining Sweden, 2011 Like in Mulholland Drive, the first intimate encounter between the two female leads is delicately depicted. Perfuse with undeniable eroticism and composed with such…

Facing Mirrors Directed by Negar Azarbayjani Written by Negar Azarbayjani and Fereshteh Taerpoor Iran, 2011 For time immemorial, Iran has been synonymous for many things – most of them pejorative, none of which has to do with cinema.…

Keep the Lights On Directed by Ira Sachs Written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias USA, 2012 Keep the Lights On tells the story of Erik Rothman (Thure Lindhardt), a gay Danish documentary filmmaker living in late 90’s New York City.…

Wish Me Away Directed by Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf USA, 2011 For country superstar, Chely Wright, her art has always been cathartic. As a high-profile member of the Nashville country music community, she has had to hide her…

Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together Written and directed by Wendy Jo Carlton USA, 2011 It’s long been said that men and women can’t be ‘just friends’. In many Hollywood films (When Harry Met Sally, Friends With Benefits, Friends With Kids, ad…

Stud Life Written and directed by Campbell X UK, 2012 Written and directed by Campbell X, Stud Life tells the story of JJ (T’Nia Miller), a butch lesbian with ample swagger and confidence. Living with her flamboyant gay best friend and…

Mosquita Y Mari Written and directed by Aurora Guerrero USA, 2011 What can you say about teenagers? Ask a parent and they’ll likely say they haven’t a clue. Ask a teenager and they’ll likely say the same. Understanding them is a…

My Best Day Written and directed by Erin Greenwell USA, 2012 At one point in the film, Karen (Rachel Style) says that, “I’m sick of all the bullshit streaming out of everyone’s mouth. Including my own”. Out of all the ornate, haphazard, and…

North Sea, Texas Directed by Bavo Defurne Written by Bavo Defurne and Yves Verbraeken Belgium, 2011 A wistful mother and her seventeen-year-old son take in a gypsy traveler as a house patron. After a slew of ceremonious courtesies, the…